Hae Yeon forcefully suppressed the overwhelming emotions rising within her and spoke calmly.
“By the way, how did you know about the movements of the Wind Human Heaven?”
Once her feelings toward Bu Eunseol had solidified, Hae Yeon no longer put on the solemn, elder-like expression she had worn before.
After all, she was his woman now.
Age no longer mattered.
But Bu Eunseol, completely unaware of her heart, explained indifferently.
“I saw from the Palace Lord’s expression that something was wrong, so I immediately mobilized all intelligence organizations to grasp the situation.”
“All intelligence organizations?”
For a moment, Hae Yeon wore a dazed expression.
The Wind God Palace was located in Yunnan and had always been a mysterious faction that rarely revealed itself. To monitor the movements of a sect hidden so deep in the wilderness required enormous financial power. Moreover, to detect in advance that the forces of the Wind Human Heaven were coming, an immense amount of money and manpower must have been poured in.
Bu Eunseol had literally invested every intelligence organization, along with all available funds and personnel, for the sake of the Wind God Palace.
“Why on earth…”
Hae Yeon shook her head, once again suppressing the surge of emotion.
“After saying you had no relationship with our palace whatsoever.”
“I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry.”
Bu Eunseol apologized with utmost politeness.
“For treating you so coldly.”
He did not make any excuses—such as saying he had been in a bad mood at the time or that complicated circumstances had been involved.
He simply conveyed his sincere apology to her.
“Such a thing will never happen again.”
“Why are you apologizing to me?”
“Thanks to the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi of the Wind God Palace, I was able to fully recover my body. Also, thanks to Palace Lord Hae, I obtained a new poison and was able to treat my subordinates.”
Bu Eunseol spoke earnestly.
“Since I still owe you a great debt, how could I possibly say we have no relationship?”
“You…”
Only then could Hae Yeon see the emotions deep within Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
He did not love her.
Yet inside those eyes, which were frozen still like a cold lake, deep down… a warm and gentle energy still lingered.
“Just because of that?”
Drip.
Having finally understood what kind of person Bu Eunseol was, she shed tears of joy.
“Just because you couldn’t repay a debt, you risked your life to save me and the Wind God Palace?”
That young man would probably remain indifferent to every woman.
Because he could not be honest with his own feelings.
Because he would surely try to protect ‘everyone’ who gathered around him.
“That is…”
When Bu Eunseol hesitated and could not answer,
Hae Yeon suddenly threw herself into his arms.
“Why… do you keep making me cry?”
“Palace Lord.”
“I was scared.”
Like a small bird, she trembled lightly in his embrace.
“That monstrous yin-yang person…”
No matter how much she had lived beyond a hundred years, she had merely been asleep in a vegetative state.
In truth, she was still a twenty-year-old woman.
That young, innocent woman had faced the monstrous Wind Human alone and fought.
In the end, her clothes had been torn and she had nearly suffered something terrible.
No matter how bold her personality was, it must have been heartbreaking and terrifying.
“Heheuk…”
Bu Eunseol gently patted Hae Yeon’s back as she cried in his arms.
The woman before him was neither the Palace Lord leading the Wind God Palace nor the Wind God who ruled the current generation. She was simply a twenty-year-old woman who had tried to resolve all the fates given to her by herself.
“Ah.”
After crying for a long time, Hae Yeon finally came to her senses and spoke urgently.
“We must return to the palace quickly.”
Bu Eunseol, who had been gazing at the distant sky, confirmed that red smoke was rising near the mountains around the Wind God Palace.
Since it was smoke signaling victory, it seemed the battle was already over.
“It’s all right. Since our Society has won, nothing serious should have happened.”
“Still, I must see with my own eyes whether my disciples are safe.”
Although she had been distracted, she had not forgotten her responsibility as the head of a sect. After wiping away her tears, Hae Yeon hurriedly executed her movement technique and headed toward the Wind God Palace.
Along the entrance path to the mountains, countless corpses were piled up like mountains.
They all wore bizarre armor like the Wind Human and red masks.
They were most likely warriors of the Wind Human Heaven.
When they finally arrived at the foot of the mountains, a military camp had been set up there, and thousands of troops stood solemnly in formation ahead.
They were the Four Great Corps of the Martial Soul Society and the captains of the Death Shadow Corps.
“Palace Lord.”
When Hae Yeon arrived, the Jade Mystic Pavilion Master, whom she had appointed as Vice Palace Lord, approached her.
“The warriors of the Martial Soul Society protected our palace.”
“I know.”
While Hae Yeon was speaking with her, Bu Eunseol also arrived behind her.
The leaders of the Four Great Corps, soaked in blood—Nae Bihon, Bing Hanpung, Dae Guhwi, and Do Cheonlin—greeted him.
“You’re a little late, Lord.”
When Bing Hanpung spoke calmly, Nae Bihon wore a strange smile.
“Well, saving one’s wife does take priority.”
Dae Guhwi grinned widely upon seeing the fairy-like beautiful Hae Yeon.
“As expected, sister-in-law is a beauty.”
Then Do Cheonlin, standing beside him, deliberately put on a solemn expression.
“Bu Eunseol. Normally I wouldn’t let this slide… but given the situation, I’ll keep it a secret from your women.”
They each tossed out a joke while laughing.
They were not teasing Bu Eunseol.
They were trying to ease the burden on Palace Lord Hae Yeon, who might feel pressured by the battle.
“What about the Wind Human?”
When Do Cheonlin approached and asked, Bu Eunseol answered indifferently.
“I blew him away without a trace.”
“Well done.”
At that moment, Bing Hanpung pointed at the captains of the Death Shadow Corps. “The captains of Majeon are not only courageous but also displayed mysterious formation arts.”
He spoke with admiration.
“Thanks to them, we were able to handle the ten thousand troops of the Wind Human Heaven with almost no casualties.”
When Bu Eunseol turned his head, Myo Cheonwoo, Won Semun, Wi Cheongyeong, and Jo Namcheon—covered in terrible injuries—were smiling with their white teeth showing.
Nod.
Bu Eunseol silently nodded.
It was a gesture of trust greater than hundreds of words of praise.
—I knew you could do it.
The moment that meaning was conveyed, the captains proudly straightened their shoulders.
—Of course.
All of this was possible because Bu Eunseol had constantly trained them and guided them to higher paths.
More than their victory in battle, they felt even prouder and more honored to have seen the smile of that great divine being.
“Thank you for saving our palace from crisis.”
At that moment, Hae Yeon bowed to the leaders of the Four Great Corps and the captains of the Death Shadow Corps.
“I do not know how to repay this grace.”
“No need for such words.”
Then Nae Bihon stepped forward with a smile.
“Isn’t the Wind God Palace also one of the Four Divine Sects of the Central Plains? When times are difficult, we should help each other.”
“Still…”
Then Bing Hanpung smiled gently.
“Although the position of Martial Soul Society Lord is formally alternated between Guhwi and Brother Noe, in truth the Lord is our Command Lord. Since we are all one family… there is no need to feel burdened.”
At those words, Hae Yeon’s face turned bright red.
She had always been bold, but hearing the words “one family” come from great masters of the martial world like Nae Bihon and Bing Hanpung… she felt so embarrassed that she wanted to hide in a mouse hole.
“It seems we have finished our business here… so we will take our leave, Palace Lord.”
When Nae Bihon spoke, Hae Yeon tried to stop them.
“How can you leave like this? You have come a long way, so please treat your injuries and rest before departing.”
“It’s all right.” Bing Hanpung said, “The Wind God Palace is a female sect. If we stay too long, it may tarnish its purity.”
“But…”
At that moment, Dae Guhwi, standing beside Nae Bihon, grinned.
“Don’t worry, Palace Lord. Today’s battle was also a good experience for our Society.”
He declared proudly, “Since we have eliminated the evil large army that tried to swallow the Wind God Palace, which had walked the righteous path for generations, our Society has now gained a clear justification to lead large forces anywhere in the Central Plains.”
Hae Yeon was overwhelmed as the leaders of the Four Great Corps took turns speaking to her with friendly expressions.
After catching her breath for a moment, she realized they were truly leaving and bowed respectfully.
“Once we have settled the chaos in our palace, we will definitely visit the Martial Soul Society again.”
Hae Yeon intended to join the Martial Soul Society.
If she and the Wind God Palace—recognized as one of the Four Divine Sects—joined, the Martial Soul Society would gain even greater strength as a Central Plains force.
Having understood her intention, the leaders of the Four Great Corps all cupped their hands and saluted.
“We will eagerly await the Palace Lord’s visit.”
After saluting together, they turned around with smiles.
“Then.”
The large forces of the Martial Soul Society quickly withdrew like a receding tide.
The captains of the Death Shadow Corps also saluted Bu Eunseol and Hae Yeon respectfully before calmly turning away.
“Take care, Palace Lord.”
Finally, when Bu Eunseol was about to leave as well,
Grip.
Hae Yeon carefully grabbed the hem of his clothes with a cautious expression.
“Thank you.”
Then, with a face flushed red, she said,
“And I have one more request.”
“Speak.”
“Not here.”
Hae Yeon ordered the palace disciples to clean up, then led Bu Eunseol to the summit of the mountain.
The place was covered entirely in ice, and the whole world was dyed white, as if they were looking at a mystical realm where spirits lived.
“From now on, please lead our palace.”
Looking down at the vast scenery, Hae Yeon turned and stared straight at Bu Eunseol.
“Only today did I realize that I am not qualified to be Palace Lord.”
Hae Yeon spoke with utmost seriousness.
“That I am nothing more than a twenty-year-old child.”
She had looked down on the Wind Human Heaven and thought that if she died, that would be the end of it.
That had been an extremely foolish thought for the head of a sect.
If Bu Eunseol had not grasped everything in advance and helped, the three thousand disciples of the Wind God Palace would have been massacred all at once by the Wind Human Heaven.
“Palace Lord. I am a man. I cannot become the Palace Lord of the Wind God Palace.”
“You can be welcomed as the Supreme Palace Lord.”
Hae Yeon spoke earnestly.
“I am not trying to bind you. Since I have already acknowledged you as a Wind God and the Grand Duke of our palace… I am simply asking you to properly lead our palace.”
“Palace Lord.”
“Please.”
Looking at Hae Yeon’s desperate expression, Bu Eunseol let out a sigh.
“I have heard that throughout the generations, the Wind Gods and Grand Dukes were assassinated together.”
Then he spoke extremely calmly.
“That was probably because the two of them wanted to prevent this tragedy, rather than one sacrificing themselves.”
“That is not the only reason.”
Hae Yeon explained calmly.
“Our palace has a miserable history.”
She revealed why the previous Wind God Palace Lords and Grand Dukes had been assassinated, and how the Wind God Palace itself had become the breeding farm of the Wind Human.
“…Moreover, Wind-Cloud Divine Qi is a power that human flesh and blood should never contain.”
If one did not reach the Wind God Realm, Wind-Cloud Divine Qi was a power that must never be held, and if it could not be resolved, one would eventually go mad.
“In the end, our palace ended up injecting you with harmful energy.”
Hae Yeon wore an apologetic expression.
In truth, Bu Eunseol had obtained Wind-Cloud Divine Qi by himself in the Wind God Passage.
Yet she blamed herself as if everything were her fault.
‘Her heart is surprisingly tender.’
On the outside she always appeared confident and bold, so he had thought of her as a confident heroine.
But deep inside, Hae Yeon’s heart was endlessly delicate and pure.
“If we do not resolve this problem… your nerves will soon be damaged and you will lose control of your body, or you will go mad from Wind Qi.”
After hearing everything, Bu Eunseol spoke as if it were no big deal.
“It’s simple.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Wind God Palace must have tried to find a solution for hundreds of years but ultimately failed. But I can do it.”
He extended his palm.
“Because from the beginning, I am not affected by Wind Qi.”
When he raised Harmony, a brilliant five-colored light lingered in his palm.
“From now on, I will inject a power comparable to Wind-Cloud Divine Qi, so let us try to control the Wind Qi.”
“A power comparable to Wind-Cloud Divine Qi.”
“Yes. In my body, besides Wind-Cloud Divine Qi, I also possess the Crystal Divine Energy, Thunder Spirit Energy, and the power of righteous, demonic and Buddhist forces.”
“What?”
“And because these powers are precariously balanced, mere Wind Qi from Wind-Cloud Divine Qi cannot touch them.”
Bu Eunseol spoke calmly.
“Also, in the past, by an extremely coincidental chance, I obtained a method that combined Hua Tuo’s Five Animal Frolics with the Daoist secret arts of the Quanzhen Sect.”
Drip.
He immediately created an arm with transparent Crystal Divine Energy and placed his hand on Hae Yeon’s Mingmen acupoint.
“I will guide the method, so first accept the Crystal Divine Energy.”
Hae Yeon, who had been wearing a dazed expression, shook her head.
“I am the current Wind God. How can I covet the power of another divine faction?”
The Crystal Divine Energy was like the treasured treasure of the Divine Water Palace.
No matter who Bu Eunseol was, he must never carelessly pass it on to others.
“Palace Lord Neung would have permitted it.”
Palace Lord Neung Gyeong of the Divine Water Palace was a tender-hearted person who had spent decades crying because she could not forget her grandfather Bu Zhanyang.
If it was to save Hae Yeon’s life, she would definitely have given permission.
“How would you know that?”
“I am slightly acquainted with Palace Lord Neung.”
Bu Eunseol spoke confidently.
“She is a person like a living Buddha. She would never oppose using Crystal Divine Energy to save another’s life.”
“Even so, I cannot carelessly receive another divine energy.”
Hae Yeon smiled bitterly.
“Our palace has our own mental cultivation method, and the Divine Beast Palace has its own. If I receive it recklessly, it could instead harm my body.”
The Wind God Palace must have considered this method as well but to absorb powers of different natures, the circulation methods of the two energies had to be perfectly unified.
Creating such a method was nearly impossible.
Attempting it recklessly would be like expecting to survive being struck by lightning unscathed.
‘I judged it too much by my own standards.’
Bu Eunseol stroked his chin.
The Ban-Geuk Method he had learned possessed the nature of embracing everything.
Above all, thanks to his grandfather Bu Zhanyang’s consideration—he who had simply wished to live an ordinary life—he possessed a body capable of mixing various energies.
That was why he had been able to freely absorb divine energies from the beginning, but Hae Yeon could not.
‘No, she can.’
Suddenly, Bu Eunseol recalled one of the great legacies his grandfather had left him.
The exclusive secret art of the Heavenly Emperor—Heavenly Mirror Heart Sutra—which allowed him to clearly see another person’s true qi circulation.
‘With this, injection should be possible without unifying the mental methods.’
“Palace Lord, do you trust me?”
At Bu Eunseol’s question, Hae Yeon wore a dazed expression. Then, seeing the sun-like hot sparkle in his eyes, she shyly lowered her head.
“Of course.”
In a small voice she said, “I would even follow you to hell.”
“There is no need to go to hell.”
Before Hae Yeon could reply, Bu Eunseol unfolded the Heavenly Mirror Heart Sutra and examined her true qi circulation and body.
“Excuse me.”
Then he withdrew the hand made of Crystal Divine Energy and injected pure and majestic Crystal Divine Energy directly with his bare hand into her Mingmen acupoint.
Kwaaaaa!
The moment Crystal Divine Energy was injected, the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi inside Hae Yeon’s body spread out in all directions as if enraged.
It was as if it were fiercely driving out an intruder.
Uuuung.
Having grasped the circulation pattern of Wind-Cloud Divine Qi through the Heavenly Mirror Heart Sutra, Bu Eunseol slightly withdrew his hand and stopped injecting Crystal Divine Energy.
Then the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi also subsided.
Calculating the reaction force, he repeatedly withdrew and placed his hand, injecting Crystal Divine Energy into her body.
‘Her body is weak.’
While closely examining Hae Yeon’s true qi circulation with the Heavenly Mirror Heart Sutra, Bu Eunseol clicked his tongue.
For over a hundred years she had been in a vegetative state due to the power of the mysterious Crystal Coffin and extreme poison. Although she had awakened and recovered, her bones and organs had been damaged because the poison had spread through her body for a long time.
Moreover, whether because of the severe mental suffering or because of the Wind Qi from Wind-Cloud Divine Qi, even her dantian had become greatly weakened.
‘I shouldn’t have worried only about the Wind Qi.’
If he had not taken action immediately, she would have lost her life within a year.
Purrut.
As if growing accustomed to the Crystal Divine Energy, the reaction force of the Wind-Cloud Divine Qi subsided. Bu Eunseol then began burning away all the residual poison left in her body using pure Ban-Geuk Method.
Chiiiiik.
Along with a terrible stench, the poisonous energy that had been eating away at her body slowly began to evaporate.
However, the poison adsorbed to her bones did not come out.
‘As expected, mixing only Crystal Divine Energy is not enough.’
Bu Eunseol raised Thunder Spirit Energy.
Thunder Spirit Energy was the purest power in the world and possessed the ability to purify everything.
It should be enough to burn away the poison adsorbed to the bones.
Crackle!
But the moment Thunder Spirit Energy was injected, Hae Yeon’s complexion suddenly worsened.
Even with the Daoist secret method obtained from Gongsun Dana, he could not harmonize two or more divine energies.
‘Still, this alone has bought her about five years.’
After pondering for a moment, Bu Eunseol injected only Crystal Divine Energy again.
Uuuung.
Before long, Hae Yeon’s body floated nearly one jang into the air.
Thanks to the vast Ban-Geuk Method and Crystal Divine Energy Bu Eunseol had injected purifying her body, the Heaven-Earth Dual Intersection acupoint had opened.
Shuuuuu.
Finally, after organizing the energy within her body, Hae Yeon slowly opened her eyes.
A mysterious glow lingered in her pupils, and her skin had become whiter than snowflakes.
“My ability is still lacking, so I could not completely purify the Palace Lord’s body.”
Bu Eunseol spoke apologetically.
“But there should be no problem for about five years.”
Hae Yeon looked down at her own body.
After receiving the Ban-Geuk Method and obtaining Crystal Divine Energy, her previously turbid meridians had become clean, and her skin had become even clearer.
“Five years… means I get to live four more years for free.”
It turned out Hae Yeon had already known that she only had about one year left to live.
“Palace Lord.”
Bu Eunseol let out a long sigh.
Only now did he realize what kind of heart she had been living with.
‘You have been living all this time feeling as if you were abandoned alone in the world.’
“Don’t worry. That won’t happen.”
Bu Eunseol promised.
“Within three years, I will obtain all Four Divine Energies and unify them. With complete Four Divine Energies, I will be able to fully restore the Palace Lord’s body.”
“Four Divine Energies…”
“I will definitely keep my promise.”
Hae Yeon smiled brightly.
She no longer said thank you. After all, she would stay by his side for the rest of her life and repay that debt.
“Yes, I understand.”
“Then shall we go clean up properly now?”
When Bu Eunseol extended his hand, Hae Yeon’s eyes widened.
“Clean up? What?”
“The dirtiest place in the Wind God Palace.”
Crash! Rumble.
The Wind God Pavilion, which contained the hideous pact and records of cooperating with the Wind Human and offering the Grand Duke, collapsed completely under the hands of Bu Eunseol and Hae Yeon.
Hae Yeon looked at Bu Eunseol standing beside her and smiled.
—First, break the bad ideas.
She realized why Bu Eunseol had destroyed the Wind God Pavilion together with her.
If they could wash away the evil customs and ugly things that had continued for hundreds of years, the deep loneliness in her heart would disappear much more easily.
And the fact that they had destroyed the Wind God Pavilion together meant that she was no longer alone. That Bu Eunseol was no longer an outsider.
Just like the promise he had made at the beginning, he had once again acknowledged that he was her Grand Duke.
“How refreshing.”
Hae Yeon smiled.
“This is the most exhilarating feeling I have ever had in my life.”
Then she suddenly spoke with a worried expression.
“Now that the Wind Human is dead, won’t another of the Eight Human Heavens come to attack our palace?”
“That won’t happen.”
“Why?”
“An old man who knew the True Demon well once told me that the True Demon gladly welcomes fights among his subordinates.”
Bu Eunseol declared confidently.
“I also killed the Fist Man and Spear-Wielder, yet there was no particular movement for revenge.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Hae Yeon did not doubt his words in the slightest.
By now, Bu Eunseol had become an existence that gave her absolute trust.
“Even if such a thing happens, as long as I am alive, the Wind God Palace will never fall.”
It was a vow firmer than any other promise.
Hae Yeon wanted to embrace Bu Eunseol tightly once more.
She had already thrown away the dignity of a Palace Lord.
But now it was different.
The deeper she fell in love with him, the more she realized that the more precious and desperate someone was, the more carefully she must treat them.
“Thank you.”
She respectfully cupped her hands.
“From now on, our palace will share life and death, joy and sorrow with the Martial Soul Society.”
She added, “Once things are settled, I will personally go to the Martial Soul Society and join.”
It was her declaration that she would break the long-standing rule of the Wind God Palace never appearing in the martial world and would openly operate as a faction of the Central Plains.
And she was doing it solely to help Bu Eunseol and the Martial Soul Society.
“I will return now.”
Having understood her consideration, Bu Eunseol saluted respectfully.
“Then.”
He immediately executed his movement technique and disappeared into the distant sky.
“And…”
Hae Yeon gazed endlessly at the spot where Bu Eunseol had left. Then she murmured in a low voice,
“And this Palace Lord will also share life and death, suffering and joy with you for the rest of our lives.”
She had lived all this time feeling as if she had been abandoned alone in a world a hundred years later.
She had thought her life would never sparkle beautifully again or be dyed in vibrant colors.
Once everything was settled, she had planned to end her life alone in a place with no one around.
But now she could not do that.
Because she was no longer alone.
Bu Eunseol had not only saved the Wind God Palace… he had also given Hae Yeon the strength to continue living.
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